One And Whole
by Midnight Rendezvous
Summary: JackKate Fic. Taking place after 2x15 Materinty Leave, maybe be some spoilers. Romance, drama, adventure.
1. Trouble in what paradise?

**This is a fan fiction taking place after 2x15: Maternity Leave. Spoilers all the way up there. Might go a bit AU at some points. Jack/Kate.  
**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter one: Trouble in what paradise?  
**

"So… what did you find out there?" Jack asked, following Kate as she walked.

"You're talking to me now, huh?" Kate said and stopped, turning around and she looked at him.

"I asked you a question," he said politely, watching her every movement.

Kate looked down, biting her lip and then she looked away from him, taking a deep breath, trying to keep the calm between them. As she looked back at him, she shook her head lightly.

"We didn't find anything out there, Jack," she simply said as an answer.

"A wasted trip then?" Jack chuckled sarcastically, not believing what she said and he tried to make that clear but obviously she thought he believed her.

"Yeah, a wasted trip…" Kate agreed, nodding.

When she turned around to leave, Jack cleared his throat and she turned her head back to him, searching his face for an answer. Yet, his expression was blank and she had seen it before, too many times. It was the same expression as he had when she had hid the key from him. Blank yet so hurt because of the tender and not hurtful lie, as Kate had thought at least.

"It's funny, Kate, how you continue to lie to me over and over again," Jack started and as he saw that she was going to protest or explain, he held his hand up and stopped her. "So why don't you, just for once, tell me what you found," his words were soft yet strong and he clearly meant what he was saying.

She turned her whole tense body against him, keeping her head down and her eyes locked on the ground. Even though she wasn't nervous, she breathed deeply and her heart was beating fast in her chest. Why did he make her feel like this? So guilty and she never felt guilty when she lied. But he had this kind of power over her that made Kate tell him the truth.

"We found a… another bunker. Like the hatch, or rather Claire found it…" Kate started, moving her eyes up to meet his gaze. "She had been there before and she was looking for the medicine but we didn't find any," Kate stopped. She didn't feel like revealing the things about the clothes, the beard and the hat. It seemed inappropriate to involve Jack in that.

"Another bunker? Well what was in it then?" Jack asked quietly to not let anyone else hear.

"Nothing, it was empty. The others probably vacated it the moment Charlie shot Ethan," Kate said and chuckled, looking away from Jack. "And by the way, I asked you a question too. But I know the answer already," Kate snapped at him and turned around, walking away.

Her words stung like a bee in his heart and he heaved a sigh. Yes, Jack had been avoiding her for the past week, but he had his reasons. He wished though, for things to become the way they had been right after the crash.

Their closeness, their unexpected trust with each other, their talks. Jack missed it all. But did Kate? She wasn't one for closeness and trust nor talking, but with him she had seemed awfully relaxed. He had his chance now – to run after her and tell her everything, at least try to make everything right – or lose her forever. It was his choice.

Right when he was about to go after her, his thoughts - and actions – were interrupted by Ana. _Always bad timing_, he thought to himself, sighing.

"Trouble in paradise, huh?" Ana asked, smiling slightly.

"In what paradise?" Jack asked, starting to walk and she slowly followed him, motioning towards Kate. "Me and Kate? No, just some small things that needs to be taken care of,"

"Of course," Ana said sarcastically, still following him. "So, did she tell you what they found?" Jack stopped, dead in his tracks, making her stop too and he turned to her.

"Excuse me?" Jack asked, looking at her like she was crazy.

"Calm down, I just thought, you know… since the whole army thing that we should start sharing things we find out with each other, no biggie," Ana explained calmly, obviously affected by the way he acted now.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did find out what they found, but I can't share it with anyone," Jack said determined as he started to walk again. "People would get to upset,"

Ana let him walk off and instead she shot Kate an evil look that made Kate frown.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What did you tell her!" Kate asked angrily as she followed Jack as he walked.

"Told who what?" Jack asked stopping and turning to face her. "Okay, what did Ana say now? 'Cause I swear to God, Kate, I did not tell her anything!" Kate looked at him which such hurt in her eyes that he couldn't take it and he looked down, heaving a sigh.

"It's the way she looks at me, like I'm in her territory!" Kate exclaimed but managed to lower her voice. "And it's not some simple 'I-own-this-island' look; it's more than that, Jack. It's a threatening look so why don't you just be honest with me, huh?" Kate said and breathed deeply.

Jack looked up, holding her gaze, keeping the silence. He had always been honest with her, he had never lied. Even when she had lied him right in the face, he hadn't been able to do the same things. Only protect her by not telling her certain things. In a short moment, Jack had made a decision and his face lightened up.

"We're going on a hike,"

To Be Continued…

**Jack and Kate are going on a hike, but to where?**


	2. You and me on a hike

**Thank you for all your comments! Here's the second chapter. I apologize for the long wait but I've had a hectic time so I wasn't able to sit down in silence and type.  
**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter two: You and me on a hike**

"On a hike? What are you talking about? Whe-" Kate started but Jack cut her off quickly.

"You're going to take me to that bunker," Jack explained seriously and looked at Kate. She swallowed and couldn't quite get why he wanted this. She had already told him and if they went there, he'd see that she wasn't telling the whole truth.

"Jack, I don't think that's such a good idea…" Kate tried but knew that it was a waste of time. Jack had already started walking and was on his way to get the backpack ready. She followed him quickly, trying to keep the same pace as him.

"Why not?" Jack asked bluntly, not really caring about her opinion even if it really mattered to him. He was waiting for an explanation but took the silence as a 'no explanation, take my suggestion'. But not this time, he needed to see this bunker with his own eyes.

Jack got into his tent, getting his backpack and packed it with the supplies needed. From afar, John Locke had seen them and he was making his way over to them and as Jack got out of his tent, fully packed and ready, Locke looked at them and they looked back at him, wondering what he wanted.

"I'm going with you… to wherever you're going," Locke said, holding his backpack.

Jack shook his head stubbornly and determined. No one except him, Kate and Claire needed to know about the bunker – the last of them Locke.

"No you're not," Jack said seriously and moved his eyes to Kate. "Come on, let's go," he said as they slowly started walking away from him.

"You'll need me, Jack," Locke said with the kind of voice that made Jack stop and turn around and take a few steps toward him. "I can track,"

"John, you don't know where we're going. Besides, Kate can find it," Jack said without a slight of doubt in his voice and it made Kate's heart skip a beat. He did believe in her still. "We're going, but we're going alone!" Jack made the final point clear.

Locke nodded, retreating as Jack walked back to Kate. He walked past her and started walking against the jungle, Kate following him. They walked into the yet clammy jungle. The ground was still wet from the rain the day before.

In the middle of everything, Jack stopped walking as he realised that he had no idea where they were going. Kate stopped too, looking at him and waiting for him to turn around and tell her why he was stopping. She was breathing deeply and as Jack turned around, he could see that she hadn't gotten any sleep lately.

"Where are we going?" Jack asked, chuckling and trying to hide the worry in his voice.

"Uhm, this way I think," Kate said, walking past him and leading him onto another path. She looked around at the surroundings, waiting for something to catch her eye that looked familiar to her from before. She saw a tree that looked familiar and she knew that they were on the right trail.

They had walked for a while and Kate's breathing had gotten heavier than before. Who was he to lurk her out on a hike – another hike – when she was so tired that she could barely breathe? Had he really been too selfish to think about her? Jack shook his head to himself, watching her from behind. Even when she was weary she was beautiful.

"You tired?" Jack broke the silence and stopped walking. "We can take a re-"

"I'm fine, Jack," Kate cut him off also stopping, looking reassuringly at him. "Really, I'm great," she said, ready to start walking again but he was too quick for her and he grabbed her arm gently, holding her back.

"No, Kate, you're tired and you're weary…" Jack said seriously, looking at her. "I'm a doctor, I can see when people aren't _fine_," he let her go as he spoke, keeping her gaze.

Kate looked down, shrugging a little. She didn't want to give up; she wanted to act as strong as possible in front of him. Show him that she didn't really need him as much as she in reality did. He was the one she could talk to if something was wrong – Kate could talk to him about anything in the world. Jack would find a way to make her happy, he always had.

But now he was too close to knowing what she felt and she always pulled back when that happened. Kate had no intention of letting this be a moment of exception.

"I'm fine," Kate said with a trembling voice as she started to walk again. She could hear Jack heave a deep and defeated yet worried sigh.

Jack didn't know where this sudden affection and worrying came from. Just a day before he had been cold and denunciating against her. Yet, he had the urge to fix everything he saw as broken and Kate was broken to him. But he didn't just have feelings for her because of her being broken in his eyes. That was actually nothing of it. He knew that the only one who could fix her was herself.

Kate suddenly stopped, looking around. They were close. Yet she didn't know how close they were but she recognized this place very well.

"What?" Jack asked, walking up to her, searching her face.

"It's around here somewhere," Kate said, walking again. "I swear, it's here!"

"Just calm down, alright? I believe you," Jack answered, following her every step.

For one moment, Jack looked back and as he did that, Kate tripped on a branch and fell down a small height. Jack reacted to the sudden sound and ran to her, his doctor instincts taking over him. He got down onto his knees and pulled her up against him, examining her.

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, not remembering what had happened. She could only feel the weariness and nothing else. Kate hardly remembered what she was doing out in the jungle – with Jack.

"Jack?" Kate asked almost surprised. "W-What happened?"

"I think you fell," Jack said and saw that she was going to rise. "Kate, I think you should lie down for a while," he said seriously and worriedly.

Kate didn't listen to him and rose even though her head was hurting and the dizziness was taking over her. She swallowed and looked at him, confused and taken aback.

"What were we doing out here?" Kate asked but saw that look at his face. "Oh, we were looking for a bunker, right?" Kate said as she started to slowly remember.

He got up and brushed off his knees and nodded slowly. Jack was just about to walk over to her and examine her more, but he stopped as he saw the bunker doors in front of him. Kate turned her head and saw the place she had been at earlier and she smiled slightly.

"They kept her there?" Jack asked, meaning Claire as he walked towards the bunker.

"Apparently they did…" Kate said with a shaky voice. He turned to look at her; he could not help but to feel worried. "Jack, I'm fine, I just tripped," she reassured him.

_Yeah, tripped. That's why you blacked out. _Jack thought to himself and kept his focus on the bunker since she seemed to rather want that.

_TBC_


End file.
